One of my favorite
restaurants in Italy, a sentiment no doubt fueled by memories of halcyon
childhood lunches and dinners with the family is Mara and Maurizio Martin’s
Osteria da Fiore (though the website proudly states ‘ristorante’, not
‘osteria’). In fact, the place is much more of a restaurant than osteria, with an elegant dining room and
professional waiters, some of whom have seemingly worked at Da Fiore forever.

Crab meat with its coral sauce

The restaurant asks
that guests refrain from wearing sleeveless shirts or short trousers, and that
too is more restaurant than osteria
mode. The refined setting (though tables can be a little too close and my
advice is to ask ahead for a table that won’t make you feel too snug) is made
that much more romantic by a unique balcony table available for two people
overlooking the canal, naturally the most coveted seat in the house come spring
and summer. Clearly, Da Fiore’s well heeled and well behaved patrons don’t need
to worry about what the restaurant calls itself, for both food and wines are
fine and the place guarantees a memorable Venetian meal.

Salt cod Venetian style

The restaurant
offers a creative twist on traditional Venetian recipes many of which Mara
learned to cook from her grandmother, an accomplished chef. The strict
selection of local produce and roughly 700 different wines and fine spirits to
choose from are also part of Da Fiore’s noteworthy charms. That said, it is the
impeccable rendering of Venetian staples that best showcases Mara’s culinary
talent. For example, while you’ll find baccalà
mantecato everywhere in Venice, Da Fiore’s version is easily one of the two
or three best you’ll try anywhere, something that will jump out at anyone
paying even a modicum of attention to what he or she has eaten during their
time spent in the city.

Hand made Bigoli in Venetian
sauce

My two very fresh
appetizers, a clean and sweet and salty crabmeat dish and a luxurious, almost
sultry baccalà mantecato, were perfectly
matched to two extremely rare Veneto white wines (only about 1300 bottles/year
made of each) that Da Fiore has in exclusivity for Venice (another thoughtful
touch). Marchiori is an outstanding Veneto producer, better known for his
excellent Proseccos (see my recent article in Vinous: Bubbles
Ahoy, Veneto’s Great Sparklersfor more).

Tagliolini au gratin with
large shrimp and red radicchio

The 2015 Marchiori Perera and
the 2014 Marchiori Bianchetta
(Bianchetta Trevigiana actually, but that’s not stated on the label) are
delightful mono-variety examples of what these two now rare indigenous Veneto grapes
can bring to the table (literally, in fact). Both were once an important part
of the blends used in Prosecco (which historically was not made just with
Glera). While the very light-bodied Perera is perfumed and vibrant (and an
absolutely perfect foil for the creamy rich baccalà
mantecato as well as the moleche
fritte that followed later), the Bianchetta offers relatively greater size
and perceived sweetness (though it’s a totally dry wine) and measures up better
with the crab dish.

The outstanding 1986 Nikolaihof Weingebirge Riesling
Spätlese Trocken pairs beautifully with the two pasta dishes, adding
something to each. At once crisp and leesy, with hints of peach, petrol,
freshly cut grass, chamomile and bitter orange marmalade, it adds another
dimension to the Bigoli in salsa Veneziana
(a local sauce based on sweet onions and bitter radicchio rosso, each of which
stands out more thanks to the citrus-herbal notes of the wine) and lift to the
creamy, thick tagliolini gratinati.
The 1997 Quintarelli Recioto della
Valpolicella remains one of the truly iconnic versions of this wine. Sweet
and rich yet remarkably light on its feet (like Quintarelli’s Amarones), it
offers a refined mix of red plums, mocha, and sweet spices. Best of all, it drinks
perfectly right now, and brings this wonderful meal to a fabulous close.